Training for Climbing, 2nd: The Definitive Guide to Improving Your Performance (How To Climb Series)

climbers, since they are never the limiting factor. There’s just no way around it: Creatine loading is not a good thing for climbers.
    If you are still not convinced, let’s consider the cell-volumizing effect of creatine loading. Bodybuilders love the fact that their muscles pump up more easily when they are loaded with creatine. I quickly noticed this same effect when I experimented with creatine after it first appeared on the market in 1993. It seemed strange at the time, but I pumped out faster when I was on creatine—this despite the fact that I felt like I had a little more zip in my muscles. What I quickly concluded was that the cell-volumizing effect of creatine leads to more rapid occlusion of the capillaries that innervate the muscle, thus slowing blood flow and causing the rapid pump. In climbing, the goal is obviously to postpone full-on pump as long as possible.
    That said, I do believe that well-timed, small doses of creatine can help climbers recover more quickly and without the nasty side effects of loading. The protocol I’ve developed and used for many years now is to add just five grams of creatine to a quart of sports drink that I sip throughout the day when climbing. This provides a slow trickle of creatine into the blood and muscles to aid recovery between routes. For training, I wait until the end of the workout; then I initiate the recovery cycle by consuming five grams of creatine mixed into a sports drink.
    Vitamin and Sports Supplement Tips
     
    1. Take a daily multivitamin each morning with breakfast.
    2. On training or climbing days, take an additional 500 to 1,000mg of vitamin C, 400 to 800IU of vitamin E, and 100 to 200mcg of selenium, split into a morning and evening dose.
    3. Consider consuming extra protein (especially if you eat little meat or dairy products) by drinking a whey protein shake each morning and evening.
    4. When climbing, snack on fruits, balanced-style energy bars, sports drinks (choose those possessing some fructose and/or protein), and other low-GI foods. Consider adding five grams of creatine (no more) to your bottle of sports drink to further enhance recovery.
    5. Avoid mass-marketed sports supplements, especially those with the wildest claims—most are frauds.
     
     
    The bottom line: Use creatine in small doses and it may enhance your recovery with no noticeable weight gain or other negative side effects. If you decide to supplement with creatine, follow the above guidelines closely and never consume more than five grams per day.
SPORTS SUPPLEMENTS THAT DON’T WORK
     
    The list of sports supplements that don’t work is too long to completely cover in this text. I can, however, list a few of the most popular, most hyped supplements that have little or no reliable research to back up the big claims, or—worse yet—pose health dangers.
    First and foremost is androstenedione (aka andro), along with other testosterone boosters. The research on these substances is largely contradictory and somewhat scary. One study showed that andro increased testosterone in women, while another showed it increased estrogen in men! Several other studies showed absolutely no effect to taking these supplements. Stay away from this stuff.
    Without getting long-winded, here’s a list of other supplements that will only piss your money away (no proven ergogenic effect): NO 2 , vanadyl sulfate, pyruvate, OKG, gamma oryzanol, inosine, chitosan (and other “fat whackers”), algae (of all colors), GHB, MCTs, shark cartilage, and many homeopathic supplements.

 
    Persevering high up on the classic Arizona Flyways (5.11c), Mount Lemmon, Arizona ERIC J. HÖRST
     

    CHAPTER TEN
     
    Accelerating Recovery
     
    Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.
    —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
     
     
    If you are serious about climbing performance, then you must be serious about accelerating recovery. Knowing how to limit fatigue and speed recovery is as important as knowing how to perform a drop-knee, lock a finger jam, or float a deadpoint. The bottom line: If you are not playing a proactive role in the recovery process, then you are definitely not training optimally or climbing up to your capability.
    We all know, firsthand, that physical fatigue is a primary limiting factor whether pulling down at the crags or training in the gym. Therefore, it stands to reason that being able to accelerate recovery means you will get more back during a midclimb shakeout and